COLORADO PLATE TYPES - SUMMARY CHRONOLOGICALLY BY INTRODUCTION DATE
(Types researched through 1979)
PLATE TYPE EARLIEST SEEN BEGAN NOTES
Passenger 1913 7/15/13 Ch. 114 P 4/12/1913
Dealer 1913 7/15/13 Ch. 114 P 4/12/1913
Motorcycle 1915 1915
Motorcycle Dealer 1916 1915?
Visitor/Guest 1915 1915?
Lost/Replacement 1916 1916?
Emergency 1918
Lost/Replacement M/C 1918
Exempt UND. 4/9/19 Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919
Special Permit (Cardboard)1926 4/9/19 Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919
Trailer 1921 4/9/19 Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919
Truck 1919 4/9/19 Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919
Truck Dealer 1920 4/9/19 Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919
Sample 1920
Bus 1928 1928 Ch. 135 P 4/4/1927
Commercial Truck 1943 1943
Truck Tractor 1948 1948
Special Event 1949
Governor/Lt. Governor UND. 1950? Governor seen 1953
Highway Department UND. 1950?
Property Of Colorado UND. 1950
Property Of Colo. Trailer UND. 1950?
State Patrol UND. 1950?
State Patrol In Transit UND. 1950?
State Patrol M/C UND. 1950?
State Patrol Trailer UND. 1950?
State Prison UND. 1950?
Depot Tag 1954 Reported in 1953
City TL/TK/TT 1955 1955 Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954
Disabled Veteran UND. 1955 Ch. 71 P 3/2/1955
Farm TL/TK/TT 1955 1955 Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954
Horseless Carriage 1955 1955 Ch. 75 P 4/4/1955
Intrastate TL/TK/TT 1955 1955 Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954
Metropolitan TK/TT 1955 1955 Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954
Special Mobile Equipment 1955 1955 Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954
State Patrol M/C Trailer UND. 1955?
State TL/TK/TT 1955 1955 Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954
Consular Corps UND. 1956?
Prorate Sticker 1957 1956
Amateur Radio 1958 1958 Ch. 73 P 3/27/1957
Mobile Home 1959 1959 Ch. 223 P 4/9/1959
Transporter 1965 1962? Ch. 64 P 4/24/1961
U.S. Repr./Senator 1964 1963 Ch. 67 P 4/19/1963
Temporary (Cardboard) 12/21/65 Reported 1962
State Repr./Senator 1970 1970
City/County UND. 2/9/71 Ch. 47 P 7/1/1969
Commercial Radio/TV 1971 1971 Ch. 59 P 4/30/1971
Rental Car 1972
Gross Ton Mile Truck 1974 1974
Handicapped 1974 1974
Highway Use 1974 1974 Ch. 59 P 7/6/1973
Recreational Truck 1974 1974 Ch. 65 P 7/6/1973
Region. Transp. Dist.(RTD)UND. 1974?
Apportioned TA/TR/TU 1975 1975
Classic 1975 1975 Never issued
Collector's Series 1975 1975 Ch. 97 P 6/11/1973
Gross Ton Mile Truck Trac.1975 1975
Spec. Mob. Equip. Dealer 1975 1975
In Transit 1977 1977
Manufacturer 1977 1977
Mobile Home Dealer 1977 1977 Never issued?
Personalized 1977 1977 Ch. 364 P 7/14/1975
Rental Trailer "DEC 83" 1979?
PERMITS:
Press Car 1931
Unemployment Relief 1933 9/1/33 Only year issued
Works Progress Admin. UND. 1933-41 era
Radio Car 1949
Television Car 1954
Exempt Equipment 1960 1960 Ch. 56 P 5/19/1959
Handicap Placard UND.
LETTER KEY: (All other letters/years are Passenger)
B Bus 1928-29 R Lost 1920-31
C Commercial 1948-50 RR Rental Car 1972-79
D Dealer 1919, 1922-30 RTD Regional Transportation District 1974-79
DR-DU Rental Car 1974-79 T Trailer? 1920
DW Rental Car 1977-79 T Truck 1922-54
E Emergency 1919 T Trailer 1922-31 (Suffix)
G Visitor 1922-31 TD Truck Dealer 1922-30
L Lost 1919 TT Truck Tractor 1948-54
MC U.S. Representative 1970-79 USS U.S. Senator 1966-79
O Lost 1918 V Visitor 1919
DETAILED NOTES ALPHABETICALLY BY TYPE:
Passenger colors unless noted 1913-74, 1977-79;
1975 Red/White, 1976 STICKER Black/White unless noted.
All types start at #1 (except 1957 #1001) unless noted.
Numbers in bold are allocations. Registration figures in [ ].
Passenger county code system used 1932-on unless noted.
1927 ORDER
Passenger 260,750 P White/Black
Truck 28,100 P Black/Orange
Replacement 12,000 P White Black
Motorcycle 3,650 S White/Black
Dealer 6,000 Black/Aluminum
Truck Dealer 400 Black/Aluminum
M/C Dealer 150 Black/Aluminum
Guest 22,000 S Lemon/Azure Blue
Trailer 500 S Lemon/Vermillion
1944: Tab - Passenger, Commercial, Dealer, M/C, Trailer, Truck
1952: Tab - Passenger, Dealer, Trailer, Truck, Truck Dealer, Truck Tractor
New plate - M/C, M/C Dealer
LETTER CODES 1955, 1957-58:
1955 CITY FARM METRO. STATE
Trailer TLC TLF - TLS
Truck TKC TKF TKM TKS
Truck Tractor TTC TTF TTM TTS
1957-58 CITY FARM METRO. STATE
Trailer - - - LS
Truck KC KF KM KS
Truck Tractor TC TF TM TS
PASSENGER (See Passenger page)
AMATEUR RADIO
Ch. 73 P 3/27/1957, E 1958. Began 1958.
No legend all years, passenger design 1959-79.
1958: White/Black, no skier.
1975-76: Formats W-0AAA, WA-0AAA
1958 W0AA - W0ZZZ, K0AAA - K0ZZZ
1963 WA0AAA - WA0ZZZ
1973 WB0AAA - WB0ZZZ
APPORTIONED TRAILER/TRUCK/TRUCK TRACTOR
Began 1975. One of 5 states (MN, NE, OR, UT) to join in 1975.
Issued to vehicles >6,500 lbs. used for interstate hauling.
Pairs Truck Tractor, Truck, singles Trailer.
LEGENDS: "APPORTIONED" top all years.
COLORS: Red/Yellow 1975-76, Gold/Blue 1977-81.
1975-76 1977-81
Truck Tractor TA-1 - TA-6553 (6,553) TB-437 (10,436)
Trailer TR-1 - TR-9952 (9,952) TS-4368 (14,367) (TS reported 1976)
Truck TU-1 - TU-824 (824) TU-3258 (3,258)
(17,329) (28,061)
BUS
Ch. 135 P 4/4/1927. Began 1928. Discontinued 1930.
1928 B-1-202 - B-2-402 (1,201) [958]
1929 B-1-590 - B-2-203 (614) [1,028]
CITY/COUNTY
Ch. 47 P 7/1/1969, E 1/1/1970. Began 2/9/1971.
Undated permanent plates issued to City and County-owned vehicles.
Each city and county began at #1.
LEGENDS: Stepped "CITY" or "COUNTY" left all years.
COLORS: Black/White FR with Black/White city/county name sticker 1971-76,
White/Green PR with Black/Gold city/county name sticker 1977-79,
later issues returned to Black/White city/county stickers.
1971-76 City #779, County #3978 highest seen
1977-79 City #1280, County #1948 highest seen
Weld County 1971-76: #1 - 200 pairs, #201 - 405 singles for trailers.
City of Greeley 1971-76: #1 - 80 pairs, #81 - 120 singles for trailers.
CITY TRAILER/TRUCK/TRUCK TRACTOR
Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954, E 1/1/1955. Began 1955.
Issued to vehicles restricted to city limits where registered
(expanded to 5-mile radius of city limits sometime after 1964).
Trailer issued 1955 only. Truck and Truck Tractor discontinued
1974; replaced by GTM Truck and GTM Tractor.
1972 has legend "CITY TRACTOR" or "CITY TRUCK" on a Black/White
sticker, because new dies (ordered for all types in the debossed
format) had not arrived in time to manufacture the plates.
CLASSIC
100 pairs made 1975 but never issued. "CLASSIC" top.
Red, Blue and Orange/White, #1 - 96 seen.
COLLECTOR'S SERIES
Ch. 97 P 6/11/1973, E 7/1/1973. Began 1975.
Issued at no extra cost to vehicles at least 25 years old, with no
use restrictions. "Collector's Series" or "COLLECTOR'S SERIES" top,
Red, Light Blue and Dark Blue/White all years.
1975 Type 1: Dated "1975", wide dies 1 - 45 (45)
(1978) Type ?: Undated, wide dies 60 - 182 (123)
Type 1a 670 - 675 (6)
(1980) Type 2a 743 - 1132 (390)
(1982) Type 2: Undated, 1975 dies 1411 - 4657 (3,247)
(Type 3: Non-graphic 5058)
COMMERCIAL RADIO/TV
Ch. 59 P 4/30/1971, E 7/1/1971. Began 1971.
No legend, passenger design all years.
1971 KCMS-FM 1975-76 1-KVFC, 2-KUAD
1973 KREZ-1 1977-79 KGNU
1974 KLZ-1, KVRH-2
COMMERCIAL TRUCK (See Truck page)
Began 1943. Discontinued 1951.
CONSULAR CORPS
Began 1956?
Permanent undated Black/White, "CONSULAR CORPS" top 1956?-70.
Type 1: Sachs-Lawler dies CC:7
Type 2: 1960 dies, NR, legend below holes CC-8
Type 3: 1960 dies, FR, legend between holes CC-31
Type 4: Blue/White FR, legend between holes CC-1A
Replaced 1977 by White/Green with White/Green vertical "CONSUL"
sticker left, #MEX-16.
DEALER
Ch. 114 P 4/12/1913. Began 7/15/1913. Discontinued 1997.
LEGENDS: "DEALER" 1913-18, 1920-21, 1944 TAB, 1952 TAB, 1956, 1959-80,
no legend, "D" prefix 1919, 1922-30,
vertical "DEALER" left, "FOR SALE" top 1931,
vertical "DLR" after county prefix 1932-54,
vertical "DLR" suffix 1955,
vertical "DL" suffix 1957-58.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1913-18, 1928-74, 1977-80.
STICKERS: 1978 - JUN 78 issued, 1979 - JUN 79 issued,
1980 - Red/White 80 "DEALER" issued.
FEES: 1913-19 - $5 fee for up to 5 pairs of plates.
1919-22 - $20 for 1st plate, $2.50 each for 2nd - 5th
plates, $10 for each additional plate.
1917: #5585, 20065, 36430 seen with vertical "COLO" left,
vertical "D17" right.
1927: 6,000 ordered.
1970-80: County code suffix used, except for some 1970 prefix
plates made in error, AA-1187 seen.
1913 14489 - 15000, 15015 (527)
1914 14301 - 15000, 15140 (840)
1915 19009 - 20089 (1,081)
1916 36001 - 37000, 37985 (1,985)
1917 -1- - 2469 (2,469) [2,114]
1918 458 - 1-939 (1,482)
1919 D 1-237 - D 2-441 (1,205) Light Turquoise/Brown
1920 4-001 - 4-894 (894) Dark Blue/White [2,511]
1921 3-286 - 3-298 (13) White/Green [2,308]
1922 D-1 - D-3-440 (3,440) Dark Blue/Gray [2,184]
1923 D-1 - D-3-445 (3,445) Black/Yellow [2,326]
1924 D-1 - D-3-640 (3,640) White/Maroon [2,591]
1925 D-1 - D-3-640 (3,640) White/Green [3,156]
1926 D-1 - D-4-446 (4,446) White/Black [3,329]
1927 D-546 - D-5-522 (4,977) Black/Silver
1928 D-774 - D-1-672 (899) [3,448]
1929 D-2-643 - D-5-283 (2,641) [3,597]
1930 D-27-43 - D-48-99 (2,157) [3,474]
1931 873 - 4-893 (4,021) [3,121]
DEPOT TAG
Earliest seen 1954. Reported in Greeley Daily Tribune, 9/4/1953:
"Permits movement of a vehicle from a freight depot to a dealer's
place of business, which does not require a safety inspection certificate."
Cardboard 1954-68, metal 1969-79, non-reflective 1971-73.
LEGENDS: "DEPOT TAG" 1954-76, 1977-79 #97 - 3129,
"DEPOT" 1977-79 #5051 - 5316.
CARDBOARD: METAL:
1954 730 Black/White
1955
1956
1957
1958 1969 1394 BlackYellow
1959 1970 1499 Red/White
1960 1971 1675 Light Yellow/Black
1961 1972 1993 Red/White
1962 556 Black/Red 1973 2294 White/Green
1963 1974 1071 Green/White
1964 244 Black/Gold 1975 1993 Black/White
1965 547 Black/Light Blue 1976 STICKER Black/White "DEPOT TAG"
1966 1977 5316 Gold/Blue
1967 370 Black/Yellow 1978 STICKER Black/White "DEPOT"
1968 1273 Black/Light Blue 1979 STICKER Black/Orange "DEPOT"
DISABLED VETERAN
Greeley Daily Tribune 1/19/1950 states that full-size plates with
the legend "disabled vet." are "available now" based on a law
passed by the Colorado legislature "a year ago". No such law has
been found until Ch. 71 P 3/2/1955. Began 1955.
Undated plates issued, "DISABLED VETERAN" top or bottom.
White/Red "DV" stickers known 1959-61.
Owner's second car issued "A" suffix, seen on Type 4.
Type 5 began 7/1/1971.
Type 1: Blue & Red/White NR, colon DV:66 - DV:778 (713)
Type 2: Red & Blue/White NR, hyphen DV-822 - DV-1114 (293)
Type 3: Blue & Red/White NR, legend below holes DV-1412 - DV-1500 (89)
Type 4: Red/White FR, legend top between holes DV-2185 - DV-2192 (8)
Type 5: Blue/White FR, legend bottom DV-2466 - DV-3000 (535)
Type 6: Blue/White FR, legend top between holes DV-3001 - DV-3456 (456)
Type 7: White/Blue PR (1977 reissue) DV-39 - DV-3834 (3,796)
EMERGENCY
Earliest seen 1918.
1918 106 Light Green/Black, "EMERGENCY" bottom
1919 E 3-219 Light Turquoise/Brown, no legend
EXEMPT
Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919, E immediately. Began 4/9/1919.
Undated plates issued to City, County, State or Federal-owned
vehicles c.1919-23. Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction), 2/28/1923:
"Governor Sweet has signed the bill abolishing the X auto license
tags, and requiring that a regular license number be purchased
for every automobile in use within the state of Colorado."
Senate Bill 272, abolishing them, required them to be turned in.
A. Black/Orange, "COLO." top, X->438 - X->1227, X 1-637
B. Silver/Dark Blue, "COLO." top, X 1-018, X 1-282, X 1-571, X 1-682 (pairs seen)
C. Silver/Dark Brown, "CITY OF" arched over "DENVER" left, 149
FARM TRAILER/TRUCK/TRUCK TRACTOR
Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954, E 1/1/1955. Began 1955.
Issued to vehicles restricted to farm, ranch or agricultural use.
Trailer issued 1955 only.
GOVERNOR/LT. GOVERNOR
Governor plate seen in 1953 photo.
A. Permanent undated Black/White, #1 = Governor, 2 = Lt. Governor.
"GOVERNOR OF" (later "GOVERNOR") or "LT. GOVERNOR" top.
B. 1975 Passenger design, "1" embossed left, "GOVERNOR" screened right.
GROSS TON MILE TRUCK
Began 1974. Issued to trucks >6,500 lbs. used for in-state
hauling. "GTM" top all years.
1974 Black/Yellow, 1975-76 Green/Yellow, White/Blue 1977-79.
Discontinued 1990; replaced by GVW Truck.
GROSS TON MILE TRUCK TRACTOR
Began 1975. (Registration began 1974 but regular Tractor plates
issued since new die wasn't ready in time for manufacture.)
Issued to truck tractors. "GTM TRACTOR" top all years.
Green/Yellow 1975-76, White/Blue 1977-79.
Discontinued 1990; replaced by GVW Tractor.
HANDICAPPED
Began 1974.
LEGENDS: "HANDICAP" top in italic font, wheelchair facing right 1974,
no legend, passenger design, wheelchair facing left 1975-79.
Smaller wheelchair on #10000+.
1974 1 - 295
1975-76 88 - 548
1977-79 1 - 10707 (hyphen added at #1000)
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
Permanent undated Black/White, #0364 - 2118, 6621 seen in Type 3.
"HIGHWAY" top.
HIGHWAY USE
Ch. 59 P 7/6/1973, E 1/1/1974. Began 1974.
Abolished by Ch. 343 P 7/18/1975. Last seen 1977.
Non-numbered permit plate issued to mobile homes and similar
vehicles >8 feet wide and >32 feet long being moved on public
roads. "HIGHWAY USE" top all years. Large sticker center in
place of serial number, although many leftover blank plates exist.
1974 STICKERS: Black/Yellow, "1974/TAX PAID/Movable Structure/No. 67807",
Blue/White, "1974/S.M.E. SPECIFIC/OWNERSHIP/TAX PAID/No. 11540".
1976 and 1977 stickers used on 1975 base.
HORSELESS CARRIAGE
Ch. 75 P 4/4/1955. Began 1955.
5-year registration issued singly to vehicles manufactured before
1930 (changed to before 1943 sometime after 1964) and restricted
in usage. Red/White, "HORSELESS CARRIAGE" top all years.
Tabs issued "1960-1964" to "1975-1979", stickers "1980-1984" on.
Type 1: Dated "1955-1959", wide dies 1 - 338 (338)
Type 2: Dated "1960-1964", wide dies 355 - 644 (290)
Type 3: Dated "1965-1969", wide dies 794 - 999 (206)
Type 4: Dated "1965-1969", thin dies 1000 - 1157 (158)
Type 5: Dated "1970-1974", thin dies 1214 - 2333 (1,120)
Type 6: Dated "1975-1979", 1975 dies, NR 2388 - 2871 (484)
Type 7: Dated "1975-1979", 1975 dies, FR 3056 - 3287 (232)
Type 8: Dated "1975-1979", 1950 dies 3498 - 4329 (832)
Type 7a 4387 - 4891 (505)
Type 9: Dated "1980-1984", 1975 dies 4503,4939 - 5993 (1,055)
Type 10: Undated, non-graphic 6191 -
Type 11: Dated "1985-1989", non-graphic 6426 - 8896 (2,471)
(Type 12: Dated "1990-1994"?)
(Flat graphic 008968)
IN TRANSIT
Began 1977. 1977-80: Gold/Green, "DEALER" top, "IT" suffix,
1975 dies, renewed with Dealer stickers.
1977-80 100-IT - 3628-IT
INTRASTATE TRAILER/TRUCK/TRUCK TRACTOR
Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954, E 1/1/1955. Began 1955; only year issued.
Identical to State Trailer/Truck/Truck Tractor types but with
"county" 64 prefix. Type name found on original envelope
containing unissued plate.
1955: A/64 327 TKS, B/64 79 TTS, C/64 470 TLS seen.
LOST/REPLACEMENT
Earliest seen 1916. Undated 1916 only.
(Duplicate plates of the original number are known 1914-15.)
Numbers began at #1001 1932.
Discontinued 1935 when prison manufacture rebegan; duplicate
plates of the original number issued when replacements needed.
1927: 12,000 P ordered.
LEGENDS: "TAG LOST" 1916, "LOST TAG" 1917, no legend,
"O" prefix 1918, "L" prefix 1919, "R" prefix 1920-31,
vertical "LOST" after county code 1932-34.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1918, 1925-34.
1916 261 - 264 (4) White/Dark Blue
1917 164 - 777 (614) Black/Orange
1918 02-427 - 03-125 (699)
1919 L 1592 - L 2158 (567) Black/Pink
1920 R 3-879 - R 5-000 (1,122) Black/White [3,171]
1921 R 7-000 - R 8-308 (1,309) Black/Orange [2,083]
1922 R-1-001 - R-5-770 (4,770) Red/White [2,605]
1923 R-1-001 - R-8-911 (7,911) White/Blue [3,759]
1924 R-1-001 - R-7-120 (6,120) Dark Blue/Beige [3,986]
1925 R-1-001 - R-8-898 (7,898) [4,601]
1926 R-1-001 - R-7-778 (6,778) [4,280]
1927 R-3-101 - R-10-263 (7,163)
1928 R-1-104 - R-10-240 (9,137) [6,018]
1929 R-3-713 - R-7-989 (4,277) [5,269]
1930 R-17-86 - R-78-90 (6,105) [2,722]
1931 R-23 - R-7-179 (7,157) [2,848]
LOST/REPLACEMENT MOTORCYCLE
Only seen 1918. Passenger colors.
1918 0/280 - 0/283
MANUFACTURER
Began 1977. 1977-80: White/Green, "MANUFACTURER" on Black/White
sticker, later replaced by embossed word, "M" prefix.
1977-80 Legend on sticker M-2 - M-265 (264)
Legend embossed M-917 - M-2811 (1,895)
METROPOLITAN TRUCK/TRUCK TRACTOR
Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954, E 1/1/1955. Began 1955.
Issued to vehicles restricted to 10-mile radius of city limits
where registered (changed to 18-mile radius sometime after 1964).
No Trailer issued.
Truck discontinued 1990; replaced by Public Utility.
Truck Tractor discontinued 1974; replaced by GTM Tractor.
MOBILE HOME
Ch. 223 P 4/9/1959. Began 1959. Discontinued 1977.
"MOB. HOME" all years. County code prefix stacked, with
1-4-digit serial number left-justified to make room for property
tax sticker, issued only when wheels removed (last seen 1964).
Stickers seen:
3-31-60 Black/Orange
6-30-60 Black/Gold and White/Dark Blue
9-30-60 Black/White
12-31-60 to 12-31-64 Black/Red
MOBILE HOME DEALER
Scheduled to begin 1977, but probably never issued since Mobile
Home discontinued. White/Green, "DEALER" top, stepped "COLO"
left, "MOB. HOME" bottom, #113 - 200 seen.
MOTORCYCLE (See Motorcycle page)
MOTORCYCLE DEALER
Earliest seen 1916. Discontinued 1997.
1927: 150 ordered.
LEGENDS: "D" prefix 1916-18, "D" over "20" 1920,
"MC-D-" prefix 1922, "M-C-D-" prefix 1923-29, 1931,
vertical "MCD" after county code 1932-34, 1940-54, 1959-80,
vertical "MCD" prefix 1935-39,
vertical "DLM" after county code 1955-58.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1915-18, Silver/Dark Brown 1920,
Dealer colors 1922-27, Motorcycle colors 1952 plate.
(Verify 1915, 1919, 1921, 1930, 1936, 1938, 1943-45,
1956-58 Denver for prefix or none)
STICKERS: Same as Dealer 1978-80.
1915 (reported) 1921 [45] 1927 83 - 94
1916 - 199 1922 1 - 185 [50] 1928 - 137 [17]
1917 - 200 1923 1 - 182 [43] 1929 - 90 [14]
1918 140 - 157 1924 1 - 180 [39] 1930 [11]
1919 1925 1 - 196 [25] 1931 24 - 42
1920 - 91 [36] 1926 1 - 186 [19]
PERSONALIZED
Ch. 364 P 7/14/1975, E 1977. Began 1977. (1975 #X-CON seen.)
PROPERTY OF COLORADO
Began 1950. Permanent undated Black/White plates issued to
State-owned vehicles. Numbers assigned 1950: 1 = Governor,
2 - 150 = State Patrol, 401 - 700 = Game and Fish Department,
1001 - 2000 = Highway Department. "PROPERTY OF" top.
A. 1950 dies, 5 1/2" x 12 1/2"
B. 1945-49 dies, 5 1/2" x 12 1/2"
C. 1950 dies, 6" x 12", heavy steel, bolt slots 268 - 4236
D. 1950 dies, 6" x 12", light steel, bolt holes
E. 1960 dies, 6" x 12", FR
PROPERTY OF COLORADO TRAILER
Issued to State-owned trailers. Permanent undated Black/White,
#217 seen in Type 3, #118 seen in Type 4. #2 also seen.
"PROPERTY OF" top, vertical "TRLR" prefix.
PRORATE STICKER
Began 1956 with unknown device (plate, tab or sticker). Sticker
issued to trailers and truck tractors using prorate backing plate.
Earliest seen 1957. Last seen 1970. By 1973, cab card issued only.
RECREATIONAL TRUCK
Ch. 65 P 7/6/1973, E 1/1/1974. Began 1974. Discontinued 2003.
Issued to trucks between 4,500 and 6,500 lbs. used for private
transportation only. "REC. TRUCK" top all years.
1974 Black/White, 1975-76 Green/White, 1977-79 Gold/Green.
REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT
Began 1974? Undated permanent plates issued to buses and related
vehicles used in the metro Denver area.
LEGENDS: "COLORADO" top, stepped "RTD" left 1974?-76,
"COLORADO" bottom, stepped "RTD" left 1977-79.
1974?-76 Black/White FR 240 - 643 (404)
1977-79 Black/Yellow FR 655 - 1447 (793)
RENTAL CAR
Earliest seen 1972. No legend, passenger design all years.
DR-DW = Denver, RR = Rural (rest of state).
1972 RR-1111
1973 AR? (AR-613 seen), RR-7848
1974 DR-9358, RR-5096
1975-76 DR-9937, RR-9725
1977-79 DR,DS,DT,DU,DW-4702, RR-5750
RENTAL TRAILER
Earliest seen "EXP. DEC. 83", likely issued 1979. White/Green,
"TRAILER" top, "EXP. COLO. DEC. 83" bottom, #UH-1458 - UH-2070.
(Followed by DEC 89, DEC 94 and DEC 99 issues; was the term 6
years at first instead of 5?)
SAMPLE
Earliest seen 1920. (Verify 1921-23, 1943)
1920 000 (both types) 1953 0-0000
1924 000-000 1954 0-000
1925-29 00-000 1955 A/1 0000, C/1 0000
1930 00-00-00 1956 0:000
1931 000-000, 00 1957 00-000
1932 66-0-000, 66-4-321 1958 C/F 000
1933 66-4321 1959 AR-0000
1934 66-2357 1960 AX-0000
1935 67-1357, 00-0000 1962-70 00-0000
1936 75-1000 1971 00-0000, 0-00, 00-000
1937 90-9090 1972 00-0000, 00-00, 00-000
1938 90-9090, 00-00 1973 00-0000, 00-00, 00-000
1939 90-9090 00-0
1940-42 00-000 1974 00-0000, XX-0, XX-000,
1944 TAB 00/000 XX-0000
1945-46 00-000 1975-76 00-0000, XX-0000
1947 0-000 1976 T.2 00-0000
1948-49 00-000 1977-79 00-0000, XX-0000
1950-51 0-0000
1952 TAB 00/0000
SPECIAL EVENT
Earliest seen 1949.
A. 1949 Red/White with a Governor's name and state ("OSCAR
RENNEBOHM/WISCONSIN" seen), issued for the 41st Annual
Governor's Conference 6/19-22/1949 in Colorado Springs.
B. 1959 Colorado Centennial Official Car #1 - 13.
C. 1960 AAONMS Imperial Council Session (Shriners) reported.
D. 1960 Red/White #GOLF-60.
E. Colorado Springs Gazette 7/16/1960 photo/caption mentions that
approximately 120 automobiles were issued special plates by
the state for the duration of the National Jamboree.
F. Undated, Blue/Yellow, #1961, large American Legion seal left.
G. Undated, Red/White, #1961 with large full-color Knights of
Columbus seal left.
H. Undated, White/Blue, #1966 with large silver Rotary Club wheel
emblem sticker left.
I. 1967 White/Blue #NTTA with red-tipped cigarette left, for
National Tobacco Tax Association.
J. 1967 Red/White #PGA-4 - PGA-89 (Professional Golf Assoc.).
K. 1968 Aspen Interski.
L. 1969 National Governor's Conference.
M. 1970 U.S. Conference of Mayors at Denver reported.
N. 1974 Personalized #CORTEZ seen.
O. 1974 Welcome Kiwanis reported.
P. Miss Colorado 1976 to 1989.
Q. 1978 Red/White #US OPEN.
SPECIAL MOBILE EQUIPMENT
Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954, E 1/1/1955. Began 1955. Issued singly.
LEGENDS: Vertical "SME" right 1955,
"SP. MOB. EQP." top 1956,
vertical "SM" right 1957-58,
"S.M.E." 1959-79. (Became SMM c.1988.)
1958: Denver #337 S/M has no county prefix.
SPECIAL MOBILE EQUIPMENT DEALER
Began 1975.
LEGENDS: "DEALER" top, "SME" prefix all years,
1975-76 SME-1 - SME-46
1977-82 SME-321 -
SPECIAL PERMIT (Cardboard)
Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919, E immediately. Began 4/9/1919.
Earliest seen 1926. Cardboard temporary plate valid
for 10 days. Last seen 1952. May have been replaced
by 1965 with Temporary (20-day) cardboard plates.
Listed in registration figures as "Permits" 1920-26,
"Special Permits 1932-45.
"SPECIAL PERMIT" 1926, 1929, 1937, 1945-47, 1949, 1952-53.
ASSIGNED REGISTERED1922
1 - 9495 1920 [7,444]
1923
1 - 12695 1932 [29,630]
1924
1 - 15560 1936 [6,796]
1925
1 - 18125 1938 [10,139]
1926
1 - 19280 1940 [12,877]
1945 [15,590]
1926 24773 Dates illegible in photo
1929 9156 Expire 8/27/1929
1937 9637 Issued 5/14/1937, expires 5/20/1937
1945 7784 Issued 10/15/1945, expires 10/25/1945
1946 11906 No dates written
1947 31281 No dates written
1949 37625 No dates written
1952 25058 Issued 7/3/1952, expires 7/14/1952
STATE PATROL
Permanent undated Black/White, #9 - 320 seen in Type C
under Property of Colorado. Reported in 1964.
#431 also seen. "STATE PATROL" top.
STATE PATROL IN TRANSIT
Permanent undated Black/White, #4 - 5 seen in Type 3.
#4 also seen in Type 2.
"STATE PATROL" top, "IN TRANSIT" bottom, no state name.
STATE PATROL MOTORCYCLE
Permanent undated Black/White plate.
A. "STATE PATROL" top, no state name, #28.
B. "COLORADO 19" top, no legend, #MC 9.
STATE PATROL MOTORCYCLE TRAILER
Permanent undated Black/White, "COLORADO" top left, #SP 7.
Vertical "TLS" after prefix.
STATE PATROL TRAILER
Permanent undated Black/White, #7 seen in Type 3.
#16 also seen. "STATE PATROL" top, vertical "TRLR" left.
STATE PRISON
Permanent undated Black/White, #4092 seen in Type 3.
#3533 also seen. "STATE PRISON" top.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE/STATE SENATOR
Began 1970.
(Before 1970, undated attachment plates were issued; earliest
seen matching 1949 passenger colors.) Colorado has 65 State
Representatives and 35 State Senators, one from each district.
LEGENDS: Stepped "STATE" left, "REPRESENTATIVE" or "SENATOR" top or bottom 1970-74, 1977-79,
"STATE/REPRESENTATIVE" or "STATE/SENATOR" right 1975-76.
COLORS: Passenger colors all years.
PREFIXES: Representative "R" prefix and Senator "S" prefix 1970-74, 1977-79, no prefixes 1975-76.
1972: Both series' full run made without prefixes in error.
1974: #S-26T seen (Truck?).
STATE TRAILER/TRUCK/TRUCK TRACTOR
Ch. 31 P 2/25/1954, E 1/1/1955. Began 1955.
Issued to vehicles not subject to the restrictions of City, Farm
or Metropolitan types; in other words, unlimited statewide use
for any vehicles that don't fall into the above categories.
(These constitute separate plate types in name only; they're
merely a continuation of the previous Trailer, Truck and Truck
Tractor series.)
Truck Tractor discontinued 1974; replaced by GTM Tractor,
although 1974 issued to GTM Tractors and some 1975 unissued
errors exist, #TE-3 seen.
TEMPORARY (Cardboard)
Reported 1962. Earliest seen Exp. 12/21/1965. 20-day temporary
registration, cardboard inside plastic sleeve with mounting
grommets, #81027S. May have previously been issued cardboard
Special Permit plates, last seen 1952.
TRAILER
Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919, E immediately. Began 4/9/1919. Earliest seen 1921.
Always issued singly. 1920 "T" series theorized to be Trailer.
Divided into 3 categories 1955 only.
1927: 500 S ordered.
LEGENDS: No legend, "T" prefix 1920,
"TRAILER" 1921, 1944 TAB, 1952 TAB, 1956, 1959-76,
no legend, "T" suffix 1922-29, 1931,
vertical "TRLR" after county code 1932-54,
vertical "TLC", "TLF" or "TLS" right 1955,
vertical "LS" right 1957-58. (Verify 1919-20, 1930)
COLORS: Passenger colors 1928-74.
DENVER: 1956 #9338, 1957 #10340 L/S, 1958 #B 2458 L/S seen.
1919
1920 T 5-889 - T 6-793 (905) White/Green [49]
1921 11-759 - 12-237 (479) White/Blue [45]
1922 1-T - 700-T (700) Black/Gold [62]
1923 1-T - 540-T (540) White/Green [64]
1924 1-T - 540-T (540) White/Brown [86]
1925 1-T - 555-T (555) Gold/Black [82]
1926 1-T - 555-T (555) Black/Cream [86]
1927 115-T - 258-T (144) Yellow/Red [88]
1928 123-T - 148-T (26) [85]
1929 - 134-T [159]
1930 [188]
1931 91-T - 791-T (701) [258]
TRANSPORTER
Ch. 64 P 4/24/1961, E 1/1/1962. Earliest seen 1965.
Pairs 1965-68, singles 1969-82.
LEGENDS: "TRANSPORTER" all years.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1965-70, 1972, White/Green 1971,
Red/White 1973, Black/White 1974-75,
White/Green 1977-82 #496, White/Blue 1977-82 #580 - 850.
1962 1966 142 1970 287 1974 387
1963 1967 142 1971 300 1975-76 449
1964 1968 176 1972 350 1977-82 850
1965 22 1969 278 1973 468
TRUCK (See Truck page)
Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919, E immediately. Began 4/9/1919.
Discontinued 1955; replaced by City, Farm, Intrastate,
Metropolitan and State Truck.
TRUCK DEALER
Ch. 161 P 4/9/1919, E immediately. Began 4/9/1919. Earliest
seen 1920. Discontinued 1955. (Verify 1944-45)
1927: 400 ordered.
LEGENDS: "DEALER" 1920, "TR.DEALER" 1921,
no legend, "T-D-" prefix 1922-30,
vertical "DEALER" left, "FOR SALE" top 1931,
vertical "T/DR" after county code 1932-34,
vertical "TD" after county code 1935-54,
"TRUCK DLR." 1952 TAB.
All known 1927 plates have date overstamped from 1926.
COLORS: Dealer colors 1925-27, Passenger colors 1928-54.
FEES: 1919-?? - $30 for 1st plate, $10 each for 2nd - 5th
plates, $20 for each additional plate.
1919
1920 1-660 - 3-408 (1,749) White/Black [311]
1921 5-892 - 5-899 (8) Black/Light Green [134]
1922 T-D-101 - T-D-960 (860) Light Blue/Black [69]
1923 T-D-101 - T-D-545 (445) White/Brown [50]
1924 T-D-101 - T-D-545 (445) Black/Gold [47]
1925 T-D-101 - T-D-555 (455) [50]
1926 T-D-101 - T-D-575 (475) [52]
1927 - T-D-287
1928 - T-D-186 [65]
1929 - T-D-188 1929 dies
T-D-263 - T-D-264 (77) 1930 dies [73]
1930 - T-D-2-83 [79]
1931 T-196 - T-291 (96) [63]
TRUCK TRACTOR
Began 1948. Divided into 4 categories 1955-73. All discontinued
1974 except Farm Truck Tractor; 1974 "TRACTOR" issue used for
GTM Tractor class since new die not ready when plates were made.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TT" after county code 1948-54,
"TRK TRACTOR" 1952 TAB,
vertical "TTC", "TTF", "TTM" or "TTS" right 1955,
"CITY TK. TRT.", "FARM TK. TRT.", "METRO. TK. TRT." or "STATE TK. TRT." top 1956,
vertical "TC", "TF", "TM" or "TS" right 1957-58,
"CITY TR.", "FARM TR.", "METRO TR." or "TRACTOR" 1959-73,
"FARM TR." or "TRACTOR" 1974, "FARM TR." 1975-79.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE/SENATOR
Ch. 67 P 4/19/1963. Plates made, ready to be sent 5/19/1963.
Earliest seen 1964.
Issued to 4 U.S. Representatives (later 5 or 6) and 2 U.S.
Senators. 5th district added 1973; 6th district added 2023.
"UNITED STATES/REPRESENTATIVE" 1963-66, "UNITED STATES/SENATOR"
1965-66, no legend, passenger design 1967-79. Flat 1963-66.
Passenger colors all years. 1973 #MC-1A seen.
U.S. Representative: No prefix 1963-66, "MC" prefix 1970, 1973, 1977-79.
U.S. Senator: No prefix 1965-66,
"USS" prefix 1966-67, 1969, 1973-74, 1977-79,
"USS" suffix 1975-76.
VISITOR/GUEST
Earliest seen 1915. Supplemental plate issued only to passenger cars,
at no fee, to be displayed along with home state plate. As of 1919-21,
valid for 90 days. Always issued singly. Discontinued 1933; replaced
by windshield stickers "Colorado 1933 Guest Permit: the Silver State."
1917: 2,496 issued.
1918: 3,150 issued through 8/29/1918.
1927: 22,000 S ordered.
LEGENDS: "VISITOR" 1915-18, no legend, "V" prefix 1919,
"GUEST" 1920-21, no legend, "G" prefix 1922-31,
vertical "GST" after county code 1932.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1916-17, 1928-32.
OTHER: Flat steel 1921, 3 1/4" x 9 1/2". #3501 - 13500 listed
as being assigned 1920, but more likely are 1919.
Numbers began at #1001 1932.
1915 18 - 1273 (1,256) White/Red
1916 264 - 840 (577)
1917 277 - 1336 (1,060)
1918 90-001 - 98-291 (8,291) Light Green/Black
1919 V 4-402 - V13-143 (8,742) Light Turquoise/Brown
1920 02-180 - 010-994 (8,815) White/Blue
1921 2 184 - 10 631 (8,448) Black/Light Green
1922 G-1-001 - G-15-715 (14,715) White/Dark Green
1923 G-1-001 - G-16-014 (15,014) Black/Light Blue
1924 G-1-001 - G-15-015 (14,015) Brown/Cream
1925 G-1-001 - G-20-130 (19,130) White/Blue
1926 G-1-001 - G-20-030 (19,030) Black/Orange
1927 G-1-461 - G-21-795 (20,335) Yellow/Blue
1928 G-2-385 - G-18-771 (16,387)
1929 G-1-186 - G-20-240 (19,055)
1930 G-20-39 - G2-13-63 (19,325)
1931 G-725 - G-19-943 (19,219)
PERMITS:
EXEMPT EQUIPMENT
Ch. 56 P 5/19/1959. Began 1960.
Motorcycle-size supplemental permit plate issued singly to
Special Mobile Equipment to show that vehicle is exempt from
lighting requirements and may not be moved on public roads after
dark.
LEGENDS: No legend 1960-69,
vertical "EXEMPT" sticker left, vertical "EQUIPMENT" sticker right 1970-71,
vertical "EX" left, vertical "EQ" right 1972-80.
Non-reflective 1971, 1972 Type 1.
Stickers have Black serial 1961, 1976, Green serial 1963-69.
1960 2388 - 2389 Green/White 1961 STICKER Red/White
1962 412 - 2581 Red/White 1963 STICKER Red/White
1964 2589 - 2766 White/Green 1965 STICKER Red/White
1966 679 - 2999 White/Green 1967 STICKER Black/White (Green Serial)
1968 308 - 3787 Red/White 1969 STICKER Red/White
1970 1 - 3399 Blue/White with Black/Red-Orange type stickers
1971 1615 - 3993 White/Green with Black/Red-Orange or Black/White type stickers
1972 114 - 1099 White/Green
4301 - 4323 Green/White
1973 117 - 3100 Green/White
1974 665 - 4888 White/Green
1975 3426 - 9001 Black/White 1976 STICKER Black/White
1977 1268 - 6934 White/Blue 1978 STICKER
1979 STICKER
HANDICAP PLACARD
Undated, flat, Black/White, wheelchair left.
A. Stick-on numbers 375
B. Screened numbers 949
C. Embossed numbers 3988 (post-1979)
PRESS CAR
Earliest seen 1931. Supplemental permit plates issued to members
of the media by the Colorado Press Association. By 1940,
specific newspaper names could be ordered instead of numbers,
i.e. "AP 13", "POST" etc., with reverse colors 1940-42, 1945;
1961 is dated unlike numbered series.
SIZES: Large size 1931, motorcycle size 1932-76.
LEGENDS: "PRESS/CAR" right 1931, "PRESS CAR" below numbers 1932-34,
"PRESS/CAR" left 1935-79, vertical "PRESS" 1961 sticker.
COLORS: All are passenger colors except 1936 #64 Black/White,
1937 #013 - 044 White/Black, 1975 Green/White, 1976
PRESS + TV Red/White, RADIO Green/White. All are NR.
1979 STICKER Red/White.
OTHER: Pairs seen 1949, 1967, 1975.
1931 65 1943 294 1955 10 1968 109
1932 94 1944 1956 31 1969 338
1933 70 1945 251 1957 12 1970 421
1934 148 1946 317 1958 111 1971 444
1935 97 1947 36 1959 12 1972 60
1936 138 1948 21 1960-61 243 1973 80
1937 110 1949 311 1962 241 1974 453
1938 149 1950 290 1963 31 1975 556
1939 249 1951 105 1964 45 1976 416
1940 248 1952 1965 2 1977 409
1941 295 1953 211 1966 307 1978 900
1942 294 1954 10 1967 336 1979 STICKER
RADIO CAR
Earliest seen 1949. Same as Press Car series except commercial
station call letters used instead of numbers.
(1942 Press Car #KFEL seen, a radio station.)
LEGENDS: "RADIO CAR" above call letters "KOA" 1949, 1951,
"RADIO/CAR" prefix #KLMR 1954, #KLMO 1955, 1957-76,
"RADIO/C.B.T.A." left, "MEMBER" bottom 1956
(Colorado Broadcasters and Telecasters Association).
1969 #KCSU has "FM/CAR" instead of "RADIO/CAR".
TELEVISION CAR
Earliest seen 1954. Motorcycle size, "TV/CAR" left all years.
Commercial station call letters used instead of numbers.
1954 KCSJ-TV, Undated (1961?) KBTV, 1962 KBTV.
UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF
Began 9/1/1933. Only issued 1933. Small, round unpainted
supplemental tax attachment, issued singly, with two holes on
square extension at bottom. "U R" with vertical "COLO" between.
200,000 ordered by state. Declared unconstitutional by Supreme
Court 10/18/1933.
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
Undated, but believed to date from 1933-41 era.
Black/Silver (repaint) motorcycle size, "WPA", #120 - 243
